Larry Rivers (basketball): Difference between revisions

Larry "Gator" Rivers

Rivers in 1973
Personal information
Born	(1949-05-06)May 6, 1949 Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Died	April 29, 2023 (aged 73) Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Career information
High school	Beach (Savannah, Georgia)
College	Moberly Junior College Missouri Western State University
Position	Guard
Career history
1973–1986	Harlem Globetrotters

Larry Rivers (May 6, 1949 – April 29, 2023), also known as Gator Rivers, was an American basketball player, coach, business owner, and civil servant. He performed as a dribbler for the Harlem Globetrotters, and served as a coach, from 1973 to 1986.^[1] In 2020, he was elected to the Chatham County Commission, in Chatham County, Georgia, and served in the District 2 seat from 2021.^[1]

Rivers grew up in Savannah, Georgia, with his mother who was 13 years old when he was born.^[2] He first saw The Harlem Globetrotters film at the age of seven,^[3] and was inspired by the dribbling technique of Marques Haynes.^[4] The nickname "Gator" originated while playing pool tag as a child, because he was unable to swim as well as his friends.^[2]

In 1967, during his sophomore year at Alfred E. Beach High School, Rivers was part of the first all-black team to win a Georgia High School Association title.^[5] Playing under coach Russell Ellington, Rivers went on to lead the Beach High School basketball team to a total of three state titles.^[6][7] During his senior year, he averaged 17 points and 9 assists per game.^[6]

Rivers became a small college all-American at Moberly Junior College and went on to play as a guard at Missouri Western State University.^[8] During the 1971–1972 season, he averaged 14.6 points per game.^[9] In his final season, he averaged 16.4 points per game, and set the record for the most assists in a single season (181).^[9] He was selected as an all-conference guard, and received an all-American honorable mention.^[10]

In 1973, the St. Joseph Gazette called Rivers "the most talented ballhandler to ever wear a Missouri Western uniform".^[3] Rivers later said that he chose the school, then known as Missouri Western State College, in part because the Midwest promoter for the Harlem Globetrotters lived in St. Joseph, Missouri.^[4]

In March 1973, Rivers impressed the Harlem Globetrotters during a tryout in Topeka, Kansas, with both Clown Prince Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal praising his natural talent.^[11][3] Rivers frequently told the story of how Marcus Haynes had tested his dribbling skills in a folding-chair closet, and how he had dribbled around chairs and under tables to demonstrate his ability to control the ball around obstacles.^[10][8][4] At 6 ft (1.83 m) in height, Rivers was the shortest member of the Globetrotters when he joined.^[11] He toured with Globetrotters from 1973 to 1977, and took a two-year hiatus to assist with coaching and recruiting at Missouri Western, rejoining the Globetrotters in 1979.^[10]

For many years, Rivers shared routines with Curly Neal, until Neal was sidelined due to injury and Rivers took over in the main dribbler role in 1982, at the age of 32.^[4][12] That year, he partnered with a Burger King franchise to create the "Burger King / Gator Rivers Basketball Scholarship".^[9] In 1984, Rivers appeared with four other Globetrotters in an episode of The Love Boat.^[13]

In 1985, Rivers started his first year as a player-coach with the Globetrotters,^[14] and worked with his former coach Russell Ellington.^[8] Rivers led tryouts during the Globetrotters' nationwide search for one or two female players to perform alongside the men for the first time in their 60-year history.^[14][15] However, in 1986, Rivers left the Globetrotters, citing his disillusionment with their direction under new management.^[16] One of his frustrations was that while he had been searching for a highly skilled female player who could play with the male players and be respected, Globetrotter management instead went with a player they had in mind from the start, who had publicly stated that she would not have been able to "make it" in the NBA.^[16]

In February 1986, Rivers joined the Shooting Stars, a new exhibition basketball team formed by Meadowlark Lemon.^[16] The team also featured other former Globetrotters such as Curly Neal and Jerry "Lovebug" Venable, and former NBA star Pete Maravich.^[17][18] Rivers and the team were invited to The White House, where they announced the start of their 1986 Commitment With a Purpose Tour, and their support of First Lady Nancy Reagan's campaign against drug abuse.^[18]

By January 1987, Rivers had signed with a new team called Basketball Magic, along with six other former Harlem Globetrotters, including Louis "Sweet Lou" Dunbar, Jimmy Blacklock, Ovie Dotson, Osborne Lockhart, Billy Ray Hobbley, and Robert "Baby Face" Page.^[19] The team had formed after several players from the 1985–1986 starting lineup were unable to agree on a new contract with Harlem Globetrotter management.^[19]

After retiring from touring, Rivers returned to St. Joseph, Missouri,^[2] and lived for a few years in King City.^[20][21] In 1990, he founded Gatorball Academy, where he taught basketball skills and rules to children between the ages of 9 and 14.^[12][2] He also volunteered as a youth basketball coach, and was a popular speaker at local elementary schools.^[2]

In the early 1990s, Rivers coached basketball at Bishop LeBlond High School, with a 110–25 record over five seasons, and led the team to the Missouri Class 2A final four in the 1993–1994 season.^[21] In 1995, he became head coach at Troy High School, across the river in Kansas, where his stepdaughter Alissa Durbin played basketball.^[21]

In March 1996, Rivers became co-owner and manager of the Paris Club, a nightclub on Felix Street in downtown St. Joseph featuring both DJ and live music.^[22][12] He told the St. Joseph News-Press that year that he envisioned developing an atmosphere similar to The Apollo In Harlem.^[22] By 1999, the club had moved from its original location and changed its name.^[23]

Rivers moved back to Savannah, Georgia, in 2008.^[24] He continued to run Gatorball Academy training sessions to teach basketball skills to young players,^[25] and led a campaign to rebuild and improve outdoor basketball courts in neighborhoods across Savannah, such as the one at Crawford Court.^[26] He also volunteered with the Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club.^[27]

In 2020, Rivers ran as a Republican for Chatham County Commission District 2 in Georgia, and was declared the technical winner after Democratic candidate Tony Riley was disqualified due to a past felony conviction.^[28] During campaigning, Rivers claimed that he was running as a Republican to avoid having to run in the Democratic primary.^[28] He expressed interest in bringing a professional basketball team, as well as soccer and hockey teams, to Savannah to help boost the local economy.^[29] According to Chatham County Commission chairman Chester A. Ellis, "As a Commissioner, his passion was ensuring that residents have food security and improving quality of life."^[27]

In 1999, Rivers was inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame.^[1]

Rivers was married to his wife Rita and had at least three children, and a stepdaughter.^[4][21][22] He died of cancer on April 29, 2023, at the age of 73.^[1]

• Gator Rivers on IMDb